We need (read: I want!) a new 3-season tent to augment (if not entirely replace) our current 4-season Snowgum Snow Shelter II. The Snowgum is actually a great little tent - quick and easy to pitch, doesn't require too big a space, good sized vestibules and bombproof in heavy wind/blizzards - but at over 3KG is more weight than I really want - or, in this day and age, should need - to carry. Its bulk also takes up more space in my current 70L pack than is ideal. Lastly, the tent's warmth in cold weather makes it uncomfortable to use when its hot; it doesn't doesn't vent particularly well on warm summer nights, especially when there's little breeze. This isn't much of a problem up the highlands where the nights are almost always crispy cool, but we have had some overnighters down on the east coast where it was close to unbearable. We're wanting to do some more multi-night trips around Freycinet in the coming 12 months, so I'm keen to take something else instead.
Initially I was interested in the MSR Hubba Hubba, and more or less sold when the new NX version was released with its 1.6KG weight and promise that some of the issues with the original had been sorted out.
I am however a little concerned as to the strength of the lightweight single-arch pole design in strong winds. Much of our hiking takes place in the Western Lakes area which is obviously very exposed; you're doing well if you can tuck in behind ~1m bushes and the odd small hill for a minor wind break. From the dozens of reviews I've read, the original HH wasn't known for being particularly rigid in gusty conditions and I can't imagine the even-lighter NX version being any better. There's also the matter of cost and availability (which I'll talk about in a sec), so I've done some more hunting and come across the StratoSpire 2 from Tarptent.
The shape is a bit different from the typical dome-style, but essentially it is a typical 2 person, twin-vestibule style tent than can be supported with two walking poles instead of dedicated tent poles. As such it is much lighter - 1.2KG - but also (in theory anyway) much, much stronger than the MSR or indeed any tent that uses lightweight flex-poles. Of course it would be much more dependent on correct guying out, but I'd figure the supposedly freestanding MSR too would need several guylines to give it half a chance in windy conditions, so I don't see that as much of an issue either way.
Dimensions-wise both (and the Snowgum) are quite similar, with the Tarptent just that little bit bigger in each direction, particularly with headroom: 1270mm vs 1000mm. Using trek poles though, the Tarptent can be adjusted down lower if you needed to cheat the wind better. I'm not actually too keen on going much bigger with the external dimensions, as that would probably limit our ability to find suitable pitch spots; many a time we've been able to locate spots "just" big enough for the Snowgum. Of course in complete deference to that last statement, maximum internal space matters... the Snowgum is OK with the inner fly doors open however with them zipped up my partner and I find it pretty darn tight for space (we're both reasonably tall and not super skinny). The coziness is in part due to the fact it has sloping walls on all sides, notably on the longer door/vestibule sides which, despite the quite wide-and-long floorplan, eat into "sitting shoulder/head space" considerably. I'm not sure how well the MSR improves on this (if at all) but the Tarptent has completely vertical internal walls on the vestibule sides. That, combined with the fact they reckon the inner tent can stretch out to accommodate 3 sleeping mats if need be, seems to bode well for plenty of internal space.
Other points in favour of the Tarptent:
* The StratoSpire can be pitched in any order or combination - fly only, fly-then-inner, or both at once (inner can be put up and packed up connected to fly). The MSR requires its groundmat for fly-only configurations and in normal use, the inner goes up first so is at risk of rain, etc. Interestingly, MSR have recently updated their page and manual, and reckon you can erect it fly-only with the pole system freestanding. I can't tell for sure but this method seems to rely on the ends of the poles digging into the ground and holding themselves in place while you get the fly over them - doesn't sound very reliable in bad weather.
* It appears to have more guy-out/stake-out points for dealing with wind and snow and making the most out of surrounding trees, etc. for support.
* Despite being a bit bigger, its packed dimensions are smaller - 410x110mm versus 460x150mm. Not a huge difference but still bodes well for use with smaller UL packs in the future.
* Choice of all-mesh or combination mesh-solid inner tent. Or you can buy either separately for an extra US$130ish. I reckon the half-n-half version would be best for most of the year in Tassie, but during the heat of summer the mesh-version would be better. Nice to have that flexibility.
* StratoSpire is USA made, Hubba Hubba is Chinese/Taiwanese made.
* StratoSpire is silnylon, MSR is regular ripstop nylon. The Tarptent does however require separate seal sealing, though I don't see that as a major minus.
* StratoSpire is US$339 (US$359 with solid inner), MSR is US$389... which seems to equal nearly AU$600 locally! Street price is around US$330 in the US, but MSR of course doesn't allow international sales, and thus you'd incur the extra cost of mail forwarding etc. to get one delivered here. Tarptent are of course chuffed-as-larry to sell to anywhere and the shipping cost isn't unreasonable at US$50-$65.
In favour of the MSR:
* I might get to check out one in person before buying... assuming somewhere here in Tassie ever gets them in stock. May be waiting quite a while. On the flipside, Tarptent give you a 90 day money back guarantee to thoroughly test it out.
* Assuming it was purchased locally, any issues can be dealt with at a local store rather than over the internet. Mind you, from what I've heard, Tarptent have a solid reputation for excellent customer service regardless of where you are on the globe, whereas the old style method of getting a dealer to deal with a distributor has often being a slow and painful experience anyway.
* It's a very minor issue, but the MSR has a few internal pockets and internal tie points for stowing small items. To my knowledge the Tarptent has none of these. That said, the original Hubba Hubba's end pockets were supposed to close to useless, not sure if the NX model improves them.
If it sounds like I've done a good job of convincing myself the Tarptent would be a better buy, it's because I have, but I'd still be keen to hear people's opinions and thoughts on these two tents versus any other equivalent options worth considering. Incidentally, I realise that it's a little hard to give accurate feedback on a model of tent that isn't really in full release yet (not in this country away) but the previous version has been out for a long time and supposedly has sold very well, so there must be plenty of knowledge out there on how good - or otherwise - they are.
Cheers, Ben.
Were that to happen though, my partner would have at least one spare pole, ideally two if I can get her using twin poles. If you were stuck without a spare pole, I suppose it wouldn't be terribly difficult to find a suitable tree branch as a temporary support, or alternatively, find a nearby tree and support the other end guying up to that. 
